Generally if you can't meet dates, yes, you'll get backlash. That doesn't just apply to software, but any industry ever.
Why not set a date that's later than actually expected, and if you finish early, surprise the community? If you run into problems, you'll likely still meet your deadline (unless it's a catastrophic issue). Everybody wins.
It's not the announcement that's the problem, it's the lack of communication.
Even just a "at best it shouldn't be a few more days", or a "we've run into a small issue, this might put us back a few days" would be appreciated. It's not the waiting that's the problem, it's the silence.
Of course there are reasons, it's just frustrating that the community is kept entirely in the dark.
I would never assume that Gateway is being malicious (except for the bricking, but hey, forgive and forget). They aren't Sky3DS.